Real Gifts via SMS: Yiftee Launches GiftUp API, Secret Admirer Feature

Real Gifts via SMS: Yiftee Launches GiftUp API, Secret Admirer Feature

Aldo Briano chose an interesting way to test out his company’s API — he decided to test it live at a hackathon. As co-founder of Yiftee, Aldo wanted to figure out an easier way for users to send gifts from local retailers virtually, that recipients could pick up in person.

Aldo went to the Foursquare hackathon just to see what he could do with the Yiftee GiftUp API. In a matter of hours, Aldo integrated his API with Twilio and Foursquare. He developed a way for Yiftee users to buy a physical gift, check in on Foursquare, and push a notification to the recipient via SMS.

Now, if you want your friend to join you at your local cafe, just go ahead and send them cappuccino. Get a gift notification via Twilio SMS, and find where you are via Foursquare. And if your friend’s caffeine addiction is as bad as mine is, they’re going to pick up that cappuccino in person and join you for coffee.

CEO Donna Novitsky says they designed the service to get friends together, and get them to local businesses. “We wanted to see how we can do something good for these small, local businesses and help out their economy.”  It’s free for local merchants to join Yiftee, they don’t have to offer discounts, and 100 percent of the profit goes to them.

Now, for Valentines Day, Yiftee is announcing their “Secret Admirer” feature. You can send a gift anonymously, and when your recipient redeems that gift on Valentines Day, you’ll be notified via Twilio SMS. They’ll get a push notification from Yiftee, revealing your identity as the secret admirer, with a link to your Facebook profile.

To register for Yiftee or send a gift, visit their website here.